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Decentralisation of Serbia – situation, requirements and obstacles

15 03 2010  On February 25th and 26th 2010, a two day conference, ‘Decentralisation of Serbia  – situation, requirements and obstacles’, organised by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) and Centre for Regionalism, a two-day conference was held in the Great Hall of the Novi Sad City Assembly

The topics covered by the conference were:

1. Regional Policy of the European Union

2. Usage of Pre-accession Funds

3. Vojvodina's experience so-far in using pre-accession funds

4. Statistical and functional decentralisation in Serbia

Reviewing the current situation in Serbia and the need for its decentralisation, conference participants noted a range of obstacles and resistance emerging. Introductory speeches by the panellists helped a good deal to eliminate dilemmas existing amongst the public about the process of decentralisation itself. The gathering emphasised the relationship between decentralisation and opportunity to secure European funds, particularly those intended for equal regional development and cross-border cooperation.

Opening the conference, state secretary for regional development Dejan Jovanovic emphasised the significance of Serbia's decentralisation and explained that one of the benefits of that process is the opportunity for investment into poorly developed regions of Serbia. Cathy Cottrell, Head of the Political Section of the British Embassy, told the conference: "Regionalisation is a cornerstone of the European integration processes."

At the opening, other speakers were Aleksandar Jovanovic – speaker of the Novi Sad City Assembly, Gordana Igric, director of BIRN, and Aleksandar Popov, director of the Centre for Regionalism, who pointed out that only a fifth of Serbia's citizens believe that decentralisation is necessary. He put this down to a misperception that decentralisation could lead to separatism.

Dr Franz Schausberger, president of the Board of Directors of the Institute of the Regions of Europe, Salzburg/Austria, and Antonella Valmorbida, director of the Association of Local Democracy Agencies, ALDA Italia, both spoke about the current processes of decentralisation, which they said was  always a hot issue in countries of the European Union.

Dr Schausberger emphasised his view that, regionalisation represents a strengthening of a country, and not a weakness.

The discussion was joined by Nenad Canak, president of the National Council of Decentralisation, and Maja Sedlarevic, deputy speaker of the Vojvodina Parliament. Deputy speaker Sedlarevic emphasised: "As the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina has for the first time been admitted into a European institution in 2002, the  Assembly of European Regions, decentralisation as a process is inevitable, and that is what is expected from us in the shortest possible time." 

Vladimir Pandurov, assistant to the Secretary for regional and international cooperation of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, told the conference: "Recently, we have made particular use of the Fund for Capital Investments in Vojvodina to open up processes that allow local self governments to set their own priorities. 

Mayor of Novi Pazar Meho Mahmutovic expressed his opinion that this conference was: "...an exceptional opportunity to clear up and explain some of the prejudices about regionalisation, because too much has become politicised." 

The conference gathered around 130 participants from Serbia, Austria, and Italy. Among them were participants representing local self-governments from Nis, Kragujevac, Prijepolje, Bor, Medvedja, Presevo, Novi Sad, Kovin.

Speeches about Serbia's regional policy, strategies of decentralisation and usage of pre-accession funds seemed to hold a particular resonance with the audience. Some expressed their regret that the conference did not have more representatives from government line ministries and emphasised the importance of cooperation between experts from civil society and decision makers. The participants made proposals for further work in this field, noting that gatherings like these should be organised in other regional centres and towns of Serbia, and that the topics should be expanded to focus on concrete examples from the EU and regions, and to deliver practical advice on securing and using European funds. Attendees also expressed a wish to hear more speakers from abroad who would, by sharing experiences from their countries, offer their encouragement to the process of decentralisation in Serbia. Attendees suggested that the next meeting also look into the topics of cross-border cooperation and project development. They expressed the view that there was also a need for training to help secure and use pre-accession funds effectively. Finally they emphasised the need for more successful and effective cooperation among local self-government in the country.

The conference was supported by the British Embassy in the Republic of Serbia.

Recommendations from the conference: 

Novi Sad, February 25-26, 2010

Local self-governments should exert greater pressure aimed at creating a political will for decentralisation. A greater engagement from media is required to create a positive attitude among the public on the process of Serbia's decentralisation.

Bearing in mind the concerns and misconceptions that exist among the public about decentralisation, it is necessary for the state and civil society engage in an informed public discussion about the situation, requirements and obstacles in the process of Serbia's decentralisation.

Authorised bodies should present the public with a clear concept of decentralisation, which should then become a subject of an expert public debate.

 Support at state level is expected to assist regional bodies applying for European funds.

It is necessary to create a partnership of civil society and government, both at a local and state level, in order to be more efficient in applying for European funds.

 In order to put together the systems necessary for the co-financing of the EU projects, it is necessary to link up several municipalities to work on joint projects.

 In order to attract as much finance from the EU as possible, it is necessary that the state assists in co-financing projects with local communities and NGOs.